This invention relates to a device for controlling the temperature of rooms in a building comprising curtain walls having a skeleton made up of columns and horizontal members to which facade elements and, if required, window surfaces are secured so as to be substantially free from heat bridges.
If a room temperature and the environmental temperature, when the air is substantially stationary, are about 20.degree. C., the room is comfortable. However, when using prior art metal front walls or curtain walls, the maintenance of such a temperature in a room of a building has not been possible. Most undivided metal structural or skeleton members comprise vertical uprights and horizontal members which bear front or curtain walls and are so constructed that they do not provide thermal insulation or resist the transmission of heat and are thus equivalent to ordinary sheet metal walls. Consequently, if people in the room stay near the curtain walls, they lose considerable heat by way of the cold metal structural members during the winter period. By contrast, in the summer the uprights and horizontal members of the skeleton of the metal wall are heated by solar radiation and in turn heat the room and reduce the comfort of persons inside of the room because of the heat transmitted from the curtain structure. This is emphasized when the metal skeleton is anodised or painted in dark colors, as is common nowadays. It is not uncommon for rooms to be heated to 36.degree. C. or more in summer.
Efforts have been made to obviate this difficulty using a temperature-control or "induction" air conditioning plant which comprises a central temperature-control installation and an induction device in each room to which the central installation is connected by way of pipes. The arrangement requires an inlet and an outlet for the heat-supplying material, an inlet and outlet for a heat-removing material, and a supply pipe for primary air. These pipes must be separately directed to each induction device in each room. A disadvantage of such an installation is that it is very expensive to build, uses a great deal of energy during its operation and in the operation thereof it causes the dirt in the individual rooms to be continuously disturbed, to the discomfort of the occupants. Another disadvantage of this induction type installation is that it has practically no effect on the temperature of the room in the area of "radiation holes", that is wall regions of a room the temperature of which is very different from the average room temperature. A typical example of a radiation hole is that in the area of a glass window which, in summer, may add heat to the metal wall construction at the periphery of the room through solar radiation.
It has also been known to control the temperature of outer rooms of a building the outer wall structure of which is comprised of a skeleton made up of hollow columns and hollow horizontal members mounting facade elements and having window units in connection therewith by conveying heat transfer fluid inside the skeleton between an inlet thereto and an outlet therefrom and causing a flow of temperature conditioning fluid to occur in reference to the wall structure in a predetermined manner. In utilizing a system such as this cold or warm parts of the metal skeleton of a room wall on the outer side of a building can be controlled as to temperature so that the room interior becomes comfortable. The disadvantage of such a temperature-control facility is that the metal skeleton must comprise a flow path for the heat transmitting medium. Therefore, temperature control facilities of this kind must be included in the original design and construction of a building. It is practically impossible to incorporate such facilities in existing buildings. Another disadvantage of the facility wherein the total skeleton is the conduit for the heat transmitting or transfer medium is that the skeleton parts generally have a hollow which is relatively large in cross section and therefore a relatively large amount of heat transmitting or transfer medium is required for its circulation and control of temperature. This considerably slows down the rate at which adjustments can be made in a room temperature.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a facility for controlling the temperature of rooms in a building such that the facility does not need to be included in the original design and construction of the building but can easily and very inexpensively be incorporated in existing buildings. Embodiments of the invention provide for rapid and simple control of room temperature and in a manner to maintain the comfort of its occupants under essentially all conditions.
A temperature-control facility according to the invention is provided substantially in the form of a pipe line system, in the pipe or pipes of which a heat transfer fluid forms. This pipe line system is disposed inside a room or rooms of a building and adjacent the metal skeleton of the vertical columns and horizontal beams providing the base of its or their outside wall. The pipe line system is so arranged as to produce a thermo coupling between it and the metal skeleton. The advantageous result is an indirect transmission of heat from the hot to the cold side of this arrangement. Where the system is applied to rooms at opposite outer sides of a building, arrangement can be made for heat transfer fluid from the system in the room or rooms on the sunny side of the building to move to the system at the shady side of the building. In this way, the heat from the portion of the building facade structure exposed to the sun can be transferred to the heat transfer fluid and carried thereby to the system at the shady side of the building to warm the rooms at that side to a comfortable temperature. At the same time, the rooms at the sunny side are relieved of excess heat which might otherwise cause discomfort to their occupants.
A temperature control facility of the invention, which is aligned relative the skeleton portion of the wall adjacent to which it is applied, is such that it can be placed relatively close to the skeleton components. Consequently, during operation of a temperature control facility according to the invention, heat can be transmitted by thermal conduction and/or radiation coupling between the parts in operation. It has been found that this very simple, inexpensive method can provide satisfactory temperature control in buildings, even in those in which the temperature control facility has been installed subsequent to their construction.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the temperature-control facility comprises a single pipe integral with a heat-transmitting section member. The pipe may have a round cross-section and its internal diameter is preferably 22 mm.
To improve the thermal conductivity, the pipe and the heat-transmitting section member are preferably made of aluminum.
Preferably the heat-transmitting section member has a hollow cross-section, for example a rectangular or box-shaped section. The outer edge lengths of the rectangle are advantageously 100.times.60 mm.
The temperature control facility may itself be secured to the appropriate skeleton component, adjacent to which is placed the outside portion of the heat-transmitting section member remote from the pipe in connection therewith which contains the heat-transmitting or transfer medium. Since, in the preferred embodiments, the heat-transmitting section member is directly adjacent the appropriate part of the skeleton, where heating is to be achieved the heat from the pipe, which is integral with the heat-transmitting section member, is transmitted directly by conduction, from the pipe to the skeleton member, during operation of the temperature control facility. The pipe, which preferably has an internal diameter of 22 mm, and the heat-transmitting section member, which is hollow and preferably has edge lengths of 100.times.60 mm, provide good heat transmission, more particularly if both parts are made of aluminium, using a relatively small amount of heat transmitting medium in circulation since the pipe has a small internal diameter. This is a plus factor in using the invention.
In another advantageous embodiment, the temperature control facility is disposed at a relatively short distance from the metal skeleton to provide a close radiation coupling between the skeleton and the temperature control facility. The advantage of the last-mentioned arrangement is that, since there is no contact between the skeleton and the control facility, there is no need to shape the outer surface of the skeleton alongside the control facility. There is also no risk of corrosion resulting from contact therebetween. As a result, the wall of the building to which the control facility is so applied is not subjected to any damage.
A temperature-control facility according to the invention can be easily and rapidly disposed at a number of different parts of the skeleton of a building, more particularly at its vertical uprights and horizontal beam members, with practically no limitations regarding the dimensions of the skeleton components. It is only necessary to secure the control facility to a few places on the building wall, more particularly at the location of the inlet and outlet of the piping system of the temperature control facility.
The invention control facility can be adapted to the shape of existing rooms since, in practice, only an existing wall pattern is used. Since the skeleton of columns and horizontal members of a room wall structure is insulated from the room exterior and since the applied temperature control facility will be directly aligned relative to the skeleton at the inside of the room, there will be an increase in the intensity of radiation from the skeleton component to the room side, i.e. in a plane parallel to the wall which usually contains window areas. As a result, people who sit by a temperature-controlled part of the skeleton near a window in winter experience pleasant heat radiation in spite of the cold window surfaces to the extent that comfort is maintained or increased near the wall. The aforementioned increased comfort during winter also occurs in summer, particularly when solar radiation acts at an angle on the skeleton components through the windows, and the components discharge the incident heat of radiation together with the heat radiated by people near the window by way of the temperature control facility in that area to that portion of the system bounding a room at the shady side of the building the temperature of which is too cool. In this last respect it has been found in operation of preferred embodiments of the invention that as a result of the rapid removal of heat by the heat transmitting fluid in the pipe system of the temperature control facility, there are no effects of radiation on that side of the facility which extends towards the interior of the room. This practically eliminates side effects of radiation on room temperature.
In one embodiment, in normally-sized rooms, the temperature control facility is disposed about 50 mm from the associated skeleton component, thus obtaining the advantages of the aforementioned freedom from contact together with optimum radiation coupling between the parts in operation.
In another embodiment, the pipe system of a control facility may comprise a double or multiple pipe through which parallel flow occurs, at least part of the way between the inlet and the outlet thereof. As a result, particularly efficient temperature control can be obtained even in the case of a skeleton member which is particularly wide or has a large surface. The individual pipe sections can have the same diameter, thus simplifying manufacture.
In another particularly advantageous embodiment, the pipe system also comprises a radiation-reflecting part which is integral with the pipe and extends along the heat-transmitting regions between the inlet and the outlet thereof. The result is a further improvement in the temperature-control effect, which is surprisingly self-adjusting. The control facility is particularly simple to manufacture and the amount of heat-transmitting fluid required in the system is a minimum. The radiation-reflecting part can have a U-shaped cross-section arranged so the free ends of the U extend substantially towards the associated skeleton component. Alternatively the radiation-reflecting part can have a parabolic cross-section, the pipe or pipes lying near the radiation centre or focus and the free longitudinal edges of the radiation-reflecting part extending substantially towards the associated skeleton component. Accordingly, this last-mentioned embodiment of the control facility is trough-shaped making optimum use of heating technology. Its concave wall can point towards the interior of the room. In addition to its heating advantages, this embodiment can take account of architectural considerations without any appreciable increase in manufacturing costs, and has the additional advantage of reducing the risk of injury to persons in the room.
The radiation-reflecting part can be internally coated with a reflecting medium, i.e. on the wall facing the associated skeleton part. Advantageously the radiation-reflecting part has the same width as the associated skeleton part.
In another advantageous embodiment of the invention the piping system of the temperature control facility is made up of straight pipes which are substantially perpendicular to one another. This system can be constructed in a particularly simple manner from easily manufactured components. Such components are particularly advantageous when a temperature control facility is subsequently incorporated in existing buildings, since the system is easy to handle until it is finally installed. The process of assembling the individual components is most simple if a screw plug is provided at the dead ends at the junctions between pipes meeting perpendicularly, particularly if the perpendicularly-connected pipes are screwed together at the junctions. The need to weld the individual parts may thus be eliminated. The assembly process, therefore, can be free from the disadvantageous effects of welding, more particularly changes in the microstructure of the welded parts and the risk of corrosion or changes in the shape of components owing to the heat of welding, with consequent localised stress concentrations.
A particularly simple embodiment of the invention avoiding a welded connection between pipes is characterized in that the large part of an externally threaded bushing is screwed into one end of a pipe and has axially extending, more particularly closable apertures for passing the heat-transmitting fluid and an axially extending central threaded bore for receiving a screw bolt which extends through the second pipe (which is perpendicular to the first pipe) and clamps it to the first pipe, sealing rings being provided between the connected parts.
Alternatively, the screw connection may advantageously be as follows:
An externally threaded sleeve is screwed in the end of one pipe and most of it projects from the pipe through the second pipe, which is perpendicular to said end of the first pipe, and a threaded screw closure means is secured to the end of the sleeve in the second pipe in an arrangement which secures the first pipe in sealing-tight manner to the second pipe via the sleeve, the latter of which has radial apertures, more particularly closable, for the heat-transmitting medium inside the second pipe.
The bushing and sleeve can easily be produced by extrusion moulding, and advantageously have six holes for the heat-transmitting fluid to pass from one pipe to the connected pipe.
The temperature control facility according to the invention can also be connected to a control component disposed inside the room in which it is applied, for making fine or rapid adjustments to its temperature.
In another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the temperature-control facility also comprises an air-supply system.
The air supply system can substantially comprise hollow heat-transmitting sectional members. In view thereof the above referred to heat-transmitting or heat transfer fluid system can be disposed parallel to the air supply system so as to exchange heat therewith during operation, as the heat transmitting fluid and the air move in parallel, counter-current or co-current flow relation. In a winter operation, therefore, the external supply of cold air can be heated by the temperature-control facility of the invention itself before being discharged into a room, whereas in summer, when the external air supply is warm, the air can be cooled before it enters the room. In this manner, a temperature control facility constructed according to the invention can be made particularly compact and can also be used as an aeration system. Another embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the air supply system utilized is arranged to a have a common external-air supply for a predetermined number of storeys. Advantageously, the external air supply is introduced at the ceiling in the top storey of a building. A particularly compact construction is obtained if the air supply system is conveyed through successive intermediate storeys of a building. The temperature control and ventilation of a room are particularly efficient if the air stream conveyed into the interior of a storey is provided substantially at the floor. In order to deliver air into the rooms, transverse hollow members are advantageously formed with air slots, more particularly in the longitudinal direction of the transverse members. Air passing through the individual storeys of a building is conveyed mainly through hollow vertical members of its wall structure, whereas the air is delivered into its rooms through transverse members.